Green area increases in Beijing in past 5 years

BEIJING -- Beijing's green area has increased in the past five years, the latest figures showed.

Beijing added 76,667 hectares of new forestation area during this period and 3,773 hectares of urban green area. The forest coverage rate rose from 25 percent to 30.4 percent in plain areas, according to statistics released by the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau.

Beijing authorities stepped up efforts to "green" the city with forestation projects, with 54,867 hectares of forests planted in plain areas during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). A total of 24,667 hectares of forests were planted in key plain areas such as the Beijing Daxing International Airport and the city's eastern suburban district of Tongzhou.

Beijing also built more than 700 parks in the past five years, bringing the total number to 1,090.